The sun was blazing down over Redondo Beach, glinting off the ocean like diamonds, and the whole place had that rich, vacation-y vibe—perfect white sand, expensive sunglasses everywhere, and families lounging under canopies with coolers full of sparkling water and gourmet snacks. You and your siblings were already being your usual loud, chaotic selves, arguing about literally everything: who got more sunscreen, who stole whose towel, who ate the last sour candy.

Finally, your parents snapped.

“Okay, that’s it,” your dad said, standing up from his beach chair and pulling out his phone. “We’re officially done babysitting. You guys are too much.”

Your mom chimed in, sunglasses halfway down her nose. “Here—$250 each. That’s for food, water, sunscreen, whatever else you think you need. And do not ask us for more. Don’t text, don’t call, don’t email, don’t even look at us until five.”

Your dad held up his phone. “We’re tracking your location. You go off the beach? We’ll know.”

You and your sister froze for a second, then you and her grabbed the money like it was a competition. Your mom was already laying back down on her beach chair like she was clocking out of work. “And no, you can’t come near us to show me what shirt you wanna buy or ask what time it is. You’re on your own.”

It was 1:00 PM. Four whole hours of freedom. No rules… but also no backup.

You immediately turned to your sister. “So… boba first?”

Berlin was already pulling out her phone. “Wait, there’s that overpriced juice bar on the boardwalk. I’m getting the gold leaf smoothie.”

“And I’m getting a hoodie,” you said, walking backwards through the sand. “Like one of those super soft $70 beach ones. I don’t care. This is parent-funded chaos now.”

The afternoon turned into an unexpected adventure—drifting between bougie shops, comparing the most ridiculous souvenir prices, arguing over which stand had the better tacos, and daring each other to run into the freezing ocean just to be obnoxious.